Lightning in the moonlight
by Rilurz
Summary: Anthony Ross is a child of Zeus, Anthony didn't have a tragic childhood like most Demi-gods, but it still wasn't good, but he didn't let that bother him. His mother died when was on the run from monsters, he still didn't get sad or show any kind of weakness. He was intrigued by the monsters and the voice that was telling him where to go. May 17th, 1980 was when he was born.
1. Anthony Ross

My name is Anthony Ross. I was born on May 17th, 1980. I will tell you about my childhood and then I'll tell you what I'm about to do next.

As a child I was physically gifted, along with brains and a habit of pissing people off. Let's go to my first argument, December 12th, 1988. At home I was always bored, so I usually went out, but my step dad thought it was best for me to do his bidding, or errands I should say.

I always do as he says, why? Well do you think my mom would go after someone nice and chilled? Of freaking course not! He is the kind of guy who takes woman like my mom for granted. He sees her as an easy target. Like someone who just really needs help.

I won't deny that my mother doesn't need help, because she really needs it. I need it. I'm not a delinquent, or anything. I'm a good boy who does what he's told. I don't eat everything thing in the fridge, only until I ask...Although my step dad does all the time, since he buys 'everything' which he doesn't, but I can't say that.

There isn't a single bad thing about me, I'm nice to people and always offer my assistance whenever needed, and I don't back talk to anyone. Okay back to how I actually argued with my step dad for the first time. Disclaimer, he isn't a huge ass, he just has a short temper.

"Anthony! Get in here!" My step dad yelled from the other room. "Coming!" I said back.

When I got in the room he had his arms crossed. His name is Marcus Jones. I met him when I was two years old. Anyway. He said in gruff voice, "Yesterday I told you I wanted this place clean...So why is it still dirty?"

I scratched my head, "Yes you did, and I made sure that everything was in order too, your study is as clean as the day we moved in. I don't see anything that's dirty."

Is he deliberately trying to find something I didn't clean? Does he want to yell at me? I didn't do anything to him. This is kind of...Pathetic. I kind of have this attitude...That sometimes comes out, usually it stays in my mind I never actually say what I'm thinking. Plus I always be nice even if the person I'm helping is a little messed up. Or upset I mean.

This room has a carpet which I cleaned to a point where my hands hurt, I used a vacuum of course, but there are some stains that a vacuum can't clean. So I know I cleaned this place well. But somehow...SOMEHOW. There is a stain on the carpet that seems to be a couple of years old. I mean the damn thing is completely black. It was not there yesterday.

"So what is that then?" He asked me.

I stared at the spot baffled, "No clue. But it wasn't there yesterday."

I kind of hate when people tell me I haven't done what I was supposed to do. I hate that people tell me I didn't do a good job. I'm always doing my best and I'm always constantly making sure I'm doing it right, like I ask what I'm supposed to be doing specifically, give me the details and I'll get it done.

"No clue huh…I asked you one thing…And you clean everything but this thing? It's like you wanted it to stay like that. It's not that hard." He scolded me. Seriously? It's not that hard you say? "I know it's not that hard, which is why I cleaned this spot. I know I did, so don't tell me I didn't clean it right." I said a little irritated.

When he gets mad he does this thing with his eye, it like twitches rapidly…It's kind of strange. "Yes I can say you didn't clean it right! There is a damn black spot on the carpet right in front of me!" He yelled.

I sighed, "I'm the one who cleaned this place and pretty much every single freaking part of this house! Just because there's one spot I 'missed' doesn't mean you can yell at me!" I snapped.

He lifted his hand, what's wrong with me today? I stepped forward, "Do it! Show me your true colors!"

To be honest…I didn't think he would actually hit me…But then again I did provoke him. He slapped me pretty hard, I stumbled back a few feet. I held my cheek, I'm going to just say this was me being…Me.

I ran towards him and spun, and then kicked him in the stomach. He doubled over. "You little…" He is pissed…It's his fault…Or is it mine? No it's his fault, I mean he overreacted. I gulped. Oh shit….

When he looked up, he was beyond mad, but he just told me to go to my room. There was no screaming no hitting, he just…Sent me to my room. That was scary…I'm only eight years old, so of course I would be scared.

Anyway, when my mom got home she gave me a good stern talking to. But I didn't need to hear it. I was sitting in my room wondering what the hell just happened. He actually hit me, which is…Stupid, he isn't my father, yet he laid a hand on me.

A couple of years later he left, because I started to work out and because my attitude…Got worse…Even though it was his fault I started to act like that. Anyway I helped people out, but only once and awhile. Another year passed and then my mom started to drink which made me want to leave as soon as possible.

I am now eleven years old, my mom used to be so concerned about me, she'd tell me to never go out without letting her know, and she would always get mad when I would try to go in the water when we went canoeing. When I suggest canoeing, she seemed really nervous. But she said yes regardless. But now…She just doesn't care, and I know realize why she was being so careful…I'm not a normal kid…How do I know? Well let's ask these nice skeletons, shall we?

Yes I said skeletons. On my way home, I noticed I was being followed. Three men, there were all wearing the same uniform, but it wasn't any uniform I seen. There were gray camouflage pants and muscle shirts. But they had these markings on them, it was strange that I could make them out. Actually they weren't markings, they were more like words and symbols.

One said, 'Hades.'

One symbol was a helmet worn by a skeleton. Which I believe was supposed to be Hades. Which I thought was weird, because I read about Hades. He can transform into anything, just like all the other gods…I like Greek mythology. It interests me.

The others read 'death'

'Tartarus.' And something about 'lord' which I thought meant 'lord Hades.' But it would have just said it, not just 'lord' it was strange. Anyway they stared into my soul or something. Their teeth chattered together, like they were talking to each other. I wasn't frozen in fear or anything, I was actually excited. "Wow…You guys look awesome." I won't lie, I'd like to control these guys. They tilted their heads at me, "Oh…Sorry, my name is Anthony."

Again they looked confused, "Uhh…" I said and turned. Again they started to follow me, why are they following me? I stopped and turned around, "Would you stop-

There was no one there. It's like they just vanished…My eyes were not playing tricks on me, those looked too real. A few weeks later, I was running away almost all the time from skeletons and all kinds of monsters. I had to leave my old life behind…There wasn't much to think about when leaving, I had no friends or family…

I was on the run every day, it's now been three years since I ran away. But it wasn't all bad, I actually travelled around the world, literally. But it was only once, and it was awesome, but alas, it's time to return home.

I stood outside of my old home. I'm now fourteen years old. For three years my mom hasn't seen me. I looked in the drive way, that's not our car…Don't tell me…I walked towards the front door. When I reached the doorway, I could tell she no longer lived here. I knocked to check if I was wrong.

The thing is with me, I always seem to be right. Someone opened the door and I felt kind of empty, not that there was much to begin with. "Yes?" The man said, "Sorry for bothering you, but did a Catherin Ross live here? If so do you have her new address?" I asked. The man frowned, "You wouldn't happen to be Anthony Ross…Would you?"

Well that confirms my suspicion, my mother is gone. I kept my composer and nodded, "Yes I am. Is she…?" I waited for his answer, "Uh…We weren't told anything about her really, but we know she took her own life because 'the gods' killed her son, which would be you…" He said and sighed. "That's really all I know, sorry you had to hear it from some random guy."

I was prepared for this, but to think she took her own life because she thought I was dead, that I was not expecting. "Thank you for letting me know, have a nice day." I said and started to walk away, now what? Should I find a way to kill these monsters? Or should I find out about these gods? Thinking about won't do me any good, so I'll just do whatever I want, whether that is finding these gods and ending them, or figure out who I am.

How can I not know who I am, right? It's strange really, I know who I am, but at the same time I don't, because I'm seeing mutated people and those people…Who the fuck am I kidding? Those are monsters, their have fangs that are sharp as knives, and their fur is…Gross, smells like they were swimming in garbage, which I thought was true. Because they got close, I could smell something horrible, like a year old sandwich that has been in a locker, or a diaper with poop in it. Just plain disgusting, their claws looked sharp, but I didn't want to test them out, I kept clear of them. Their eyes often glowed yellow, and were always filled with hate and bloodlust.

I got away so many times because they were slow and stupid. They had these weapons that were made out of bronze, at least I think it was bronze, I made one myself, but it had no affect on them, so I stole one of theirs and now when I get away, there are no monsters chasing me.

A year went by after I learned about my mother and nothing changed, I kept running and killing these things, from time to time I thought someone was talking to me. Every day I got faster, of course it's normal for humans to get stronger, or faster. But I was getting stronger and faster at an abnormal rate, and lately I've started to feel like the lightning in the sky was following me, a few times it just missed me, the weird thing about it almost missing me was that even though it was right in front of me, I didn't get hurt, my eyes saw the lightning bolt but I was not blinded, the hair on my arms did not stand up, and when it was extremely close I felt so alive.

Five months of running from the monsters and the storms, nothing changed really, I was too fast for the monsters and I was just out of reach from the lightning. I'm fifth-teen and I feel like something is always watching me, in the shadows and in the sky, when I go the ocean, I sometimes feel something tugging at my feet. Is the entire world after me or something? It's been fun running from everything, but I think it's time I face them, first the monsters, and then I'll listen to the voice that's been telling me to go to Long Island.

My current location was Maryland, Washington. I slowly made my way to Long Island, it will take me three weeks to even get there, but I've got time. As I was walking along a road, in the woods to my left I could hear twigs snapping and snarling, my heart started to race with excitement, "It's been almost four weeks! Where have you monster been!? Are you afraid of me!?" I yelled and laughed as they stopped snarling. The largest group of monsters I've fought was thirty five. The monsters I've seen are huge dogs that attack when my back is turned, and when I'm about to cut them down, they disappear and reappear behind me.

Another would be giants, its fun messing with them, sometimes I get them to kill their own brethren, and one that I've seen quite often are these green lizard like creatures, slippery those are, but I still kill them in the end. I've had a lot of close calls, but I've never been truly hurt by them, they're too predictable, so it's easy to fight them. Although from time to time I'll fight something that is smart and just not like the other monsters, but after fighting these monsters for years, I'm just unkillable.

Honestly…I love killing them, I love seeing them beg for mercy, I love seeing them try to run when I take out their entire group, but what I love most about killing them, is when they explode into gold dust when I stick my sword through their chests.

When I finally made it to Long Island, I had a few followers…Or I guess I should say they are my prisoners.

Some monsters begged me to let them live so I told them to vow to never betray me, to always listen to what I say and to never lie to me. Soon, I felt like a god to these pathetic excuses of monsters.


	2. The truth

**_I was actually thinking about deleting this story, since I couldn't really come up with anything. But then someone left a review that kind of changed my mind about that, so thank you. As I was writing this I thought back on my first fanfic, I've always liked Artemis, and Zoe as well, but her attitude isn't that great, but I still liked her, especially her past. Now I've never written a story that involves a love triangle, well one that goes throughout the entire story, but I'd thought I'd give it a try, these chapters are kind of small because I don't have the time to write as much as I did in the past, but I'll eventually get it done, it just takes me a while to do so. But if I was to focus on this story alone, I could post two or three chapters a week. Anyway, I hope you like what I came up with. If not, let me know with a review or you PM me about it :)  
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I questioned the monsters, and the first thing they said was that they were apart of an army that was led by someone named Kronos, well they call him 'Lord Kronos' but I don't, and I never met him and don't plan on it. One by one, my prisoners died out…By me of course, I started to get bored of them always telling me I'm great and so awesome! My god, shut up! They aren't human, so who cares if I kill them in cold blood? I killed all the monsters, and listened to the voice.

It said to go to Long Island, apparently there is a special place there for people like me, I thought, I was going crazy! I mean I'm listening to a 'voice' in my head, that sounds so freaking stupid, I know! But the thing is, it's not my voice, this voice sounds sinister, and cold hearted, and then I started to think maybe what those monsters told me was true? Could that be him the one who's talking to me in my head? If I go where he wants me to, will I see him there?

If so, then maybe I'll challenge him to a fight, and then I'll cut him down in front of everyone, then I'll be in control of those…Monsters. But then again, running around killing these things isn't that bad. I have no one to tell me what's right and what's wrong anymore, I can do whatever the hell I want. Not a bad plan. I guess the first thing to do is to ignore whoever this is, why follow the rules? I mean my life was good until these monsters came along, may as well get some revenge, even though that's all I've been doing ever since I started this Journey.

I decided to keep finding these things and killing them, when I found them, I slowly killed them, but sometimes they died instantly, which kind of annoyed me. As the weeks went by I realized my sixteenth birthday is almost here, and I felt strange about that day. Like I was in danger, but why should I?

My blonde hair grew out and was past my shoulders and my clothes were in tatters, so I 'borrowed' some, and later on I found a cape I thought was cool. The inside was dark red and the outside pure black. Another month went by and I was one week from my birthday. Getting my own food was hard, but I managed. For most of the week I stayed in caves, everyday I stared at the entrance. Will something or someone enter this cave? I feel so uneasy about my birthday, like something horrible is about to happen.

So far nothing has happened, expect the monsters that find me once and awhile, but usually they aren't a threat. Two more days...As I stared at the entrance to my cave, I started to feel sleepy. My eyes slowly closed, why won't this sense of danger go away? Soon I fell asleep.

I've been having this dream for a while now, but it changes, it starts off with a man sitting on a throne in a dark room, every time I had that dream there was someone kneeling at the feet of the man on the throne. "You've been chasing that child for years, how exactly does he get away?!" The man yelled, the one kneeling gulped, "T-the child isn't like the others, my lord."

The marble floor cracked all around the throne as the man stood up from it, "Seven years I have allowed you to come out of Tartarus over and over, the time you've spent up there is less than a year, for seven years he has bested you, for seven long years you have failed me! This. Is your last chance, if you fail me once more, you won't see the day of light ever again. Do you understand?" The man asked angrily, and the darkness around him seemed to darken and get pulled into the man. The darkness somehow made him stronger, and a lot scarier than before, and it also seemed like the shadows were reaching out to him...And then also started to come towards me.

Once I couldn't see anything, I woke with a start. I was breathing quickly and heavily, the light from the entrance suddenly disappeared making me think the shadows were going to take me underground, but then I realized it was being blocked by shadows of people, I reached for my sword, but before I could draw it, an arrow hit my arm, or it just grazed it, and then I couldn't move my arm, so I tried to use my other arm, but whoever that was, did the same thing and I couldn't move my arms.

I couldn't make out their faces because of the light in the background. That feeling I couldn't get rid of, increased tenfold as they walked towards me. "All the danger I've felt, is it because of you people?" I asked quietly, one of them spoke, "What are you doing in this cave, boy?" She asked.

Boy? As they got closer, I noticed they were younger than me, a couple looked about my age, but the rest looked like children. "You're just a bunch of little girls…" I said and sighed, "I made this cave my temporary home…"

I tried pulling my arms, but it was no good, I was stuck completely, "This cave belonged to a rather dangerous monster, who are you, boy?" She asked. Again she called me 'boy' I pulled harder, "Quit calling me that, and what do you want? Why did you shoot these arrows at me?" I asked with annoyance.

One of the girls in the back tried coming towards as if to slap me, I smirked, "What's wrong little girl, don't like people who are older than you, talk down to you?" The one in front of me slapped me, that's probably the first time I've been hit in years, my cheek stung, "What the…" I growled, "The hell you do that for?!" I pulled one of my arms free and then I pulled out the other and reached for my sword, "Get away from me!"

They didn't move one step, instead they drew their bows and notched an arrow and aimed it at me. They blocked my only exit, goddammit…

I put my sword away and held up my hands, "I don't get it, what am I, a demon?" I asked with a smirk. They didn't put their bows away, "Are you going to kill me?" I asked, but got no answer.

I closed my eyes, just get it over with, I waited two minutes, once they didn't do anything I sighed and opened my eyes, before I could say anything I was kicked in the stomach and then I doubled over, "That…Was uncalled for…" I looked up and was kicked on the side of the face, making me pass out. Did I just get knocked out by a girl?

When I came to, I was sitting by a tree, oh and I was surrounded by wolves. When I tried to move they growled, "Great…" I muttered and looked around, just trees and some tents. My sword was missing, what do they want with me? One of the wolves suddenly took off, I'm getting impatient, I took a long breath and tried to relax, tomorrow is my birthday, what the hell is going to happen to me?

Five minutes passed and I heard someone coming towards me, but I didn't bother looking. "Get up, boy."

I ignored her, "Just like the rest of those mortals, ignorant and thick headed. On thy feet, lady Artemis has summoned you." The girl said.

Artemis? Does she mean Artemis the goddess of the moon? Or am I just overthinking this? I opened my eyes and felt funny, this girl is…Beautiful, to say the least, she had dark brown eyes, a slightly upturned nose, copper-colored skin, and a silver circlet braided into the top of her long dark hair. She gave me a disgusted look, "Hurry up, you filth." Ouch.

I cleared my throat, and got up. Being around humans is annoying, and in some cases, risky, they might be a monster, or someone who can see the monsters just like I do. "Lead the way." I said.

She turned and started walking without telling me, not that I needed her to tell me. We went to the tents they had set up, and entered the last one, the inside of the tent was warm and comfortable. Silk rugs and pillows covered the floor. In the center, a golden brazier of fire seemed to burn without fuel or smoke. Never ending fire…Cool. At the back was the girl who knocked me out, but behind her was a polished oak display stand, was her huge silver bow, carved to resemble gazelle horns. The walls were hung with animal pelts: black bear, tiger, and several others I didn't recognize.

I walked towards the middle and studied the girl, "She says you are…Artemis, to this day I never believed the 'gods' were real, and I kind of still do, who are you really?" I asked, behind me I could feel the other girl glaring at me. The one in front of me leaned forward and raised her eye brow, "Never mind that, I think what you want to know is, who you are. I can tell you've seen much, and you been through much, yet you still don't know who you are." She told me, "What?" I asked and laughed, "I know who I am, I just don't know what I am. There's a difference."

She smiled, "The gods you don't believe in are very much alive…" She stared into my eyes, "All those monsters you've killed aren't really dead, the two are tied, in a way it's a never ending war, but they can't do anything without a leader, so for now, we are at peace." She kind of trailed off from what I wanted to know, "The gods are alive? Exactly what 'gods' are you talking about? The one who created everything? Or the ones who control the forces of nature?" I asked.

Nothing surprises this girl, she nodded, "We gods do control the forces of nature, but that's not all we do, we watch over this world as well."

We? "So you are Artemis, goddess of the moon, right?" I asked.

Again she nodded, "Yes, I am Artemis, goddess of the moon and hunt." She said. I cocked my head sideways, "The hunt? What is that?"

Artemis sighed, "I hunt in the wild with my hunters, simple. I have not met a mortal like you…Well half-blood I guess I should say."

"Half-blood?" I asked, and suddenly felt danger, "Yes, half-human, and half…There is another name for half-bloods, it is called demi-gods. You can figure out the rest." She smiled and got up, then she walked around her table and ran her fingers across the handle to her knife, "Half-god…But…That's not possible, I've been human my whole life." I said in disbelief.

She pulled out her knife and she examined it, "I can sense the god's blood in your veins, you're in fact a demi-god. But what I want to know is which god is your parent?"

"Well both my parents are dead, so they couldn't have been a god." I said still not really believing her, she shook her head, "Let me clarify my question, which parent wasn't around when you were born?"

I scowled, "That would be my father...He can't be a god."

Artemis sighed, I guess she's seen people like me, "Whoever your parent is, is in fact a god. That is the truth, boy." She said.

"That so?" I said and balled my hands into fists, "If he's a god, then why the fuck did I go through all that shit?! Are we so insignificant that gods can't even do anything to prevent their child from almost going insane?! Everyday I had to make sure there were no monsters near me when I went to sleep! I had to make sure to keep on living, even when my mother died I told myself everything was going to be okay! But it got worse from there! What are we to you gods?! Are we just mistakes to you?!" I snapped. I've never gotten so mad before...Knowing there are gods around…That can possibly be our parents…Just makes me want to strip them of their so called 'powers' if they can't help us, then why have them?

Artemis had no reaction to my little outburst, but she said, "We gods…Can't do everything, we have power, but that power is limited, we can't always be there…At least they can't, you've seen my hunters, they aren't my children, but I treat them like they are. And I've never had a child before, but I have my hunters that are like my daughters, I know what you're feeling right now, but remember that we gods are not all alike, not all of us can pay attention to the children, because interfering with their lives could cause something far worse than death…" She said.

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 _ **Artemis is my favorite goddess, so I'll go back and make sure there isn't that much typos, since in my last fanfic about her, there was a bunch of grammar errors.**_

 _ **Thanks for reading! I hope you all have an awesome day!**_

 _ **Rilurz~**_


	3. Claimed by the king of the gods

_**Thank you to everyone who followed and favorite this story! This is all I got for this week.**_

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Something worse than death? My anger slowly subsided, "What can possibly be worse than death?" I asked.

Artemis didn't say anything, so I guess there are somethings the gods can't talk about, but why? The gods…Exactly why are they around? So far I've felt nothing but resentment towards them, if I had the power to help my kids or anyone, I would do it. "Why did you take me here, and why did you tell me all that?" I asked.

Artemis sighed, "Zoe, can you gather the rest of the hunters and wait for me outside, thank you."

"Of course my lady." So her name is Zoe? I watched her walk out, she glared at me as she left, "She really doesn't like me." I said, Artemis nodded, "We have our reasons, but forgive them if they do not welcome you."

I cocked my head sideways, "What do you mean? Why would they need to welcome me?" I asked, she laughed lightly, "We'll get to that later, first I want to ask you one more thing." Why does she always talk about something else? Why can't she stick to one subject? "Alright…What is it?"

"The gods…What do you think about them…By that I mean, if you could do something about them, what would you do?" She asked. I rubbed my chin, "Well…" As I thought more about the gods my anger started to build up again. "I see the gods as nothing but pests, I know I don't know exactly everything about them…But I know enough to see that they aren't WORTHY enough to watch over this world. They fail as guardians and they fail as gods. But that doesn't matter right now, what matters is what I'm going to do, which is...I guess find a way to dethrone them." I said and watched Artemis, she says she's a god, but so far she hasn't shown me anything godly.

"I see...Well since I am a god, I can't have that." She said, and then she started to glow, I covered my eyes and thought that this was the end for me, because as she started to light up, I finally believed she was a god. The light died down and I felt no danger at all, I was perfectly fine. I opened my eyes and my jaw dropped, Artemis who I thought was just a little girl, was in fact a god, when I closed my eyes she was kind of small, but now she's my height, her silvery yellow eyes stared into my dark blue eyes, her face was beautiful but she looked so intimidating. She wore a white shirt under a silver jacket, and she had silvery camo pants and black combat boots on.

Her hair was braided over her left shoulder, and her hair seemed to have grown, just like she did. "Do you still want to dethrone us?" She asked calmly. She's got me, I didn't feel immense power from her, but I could tell if she wanted to kill me, it would be over in an instant. "It's the way I feel right now...But all minds can be changed, it's just a matter of how you change that mind." I said.

Artemis stood still and examined me, "You aren't saying that just to stay alive, are you?" She asked.

I shook my head, "What good would that do me? You are a god, and I am not." I said.

She still didn't believe me, which I found kind of funny. I'm not as dangerous as she thinks I am. "So now I can't leave because of what I think? I say that's what I want, but do you actually think I'm capable of doing that?" I asked. "It all depends on who your Olympian parent is, and I am not keeping you here, you can leave whenever you wish." Artemis said and pointed to the exit, outside are all her hunters, all the hunters that have wolves as pets…If I leave, I die, if I stay…what happens?

I stayed put, "If I go out there alone, will your hunters attack me?" I asked, Artemis shrugged, "They do not like boys of course, but they won't hurt you, well not unless I give the order."

So I really can't leave, "Why am I here?" I asked.

Artemis smiled like I just said something intelligent, "That's something you need to figure out on your own, now I must be going, my hunters are waiting for me." She said and reverted back to her other form. She's really pretty, I'll admit that. We walked out, the first thing I noticed was that all of the tents were taken down, except the one Artemis and I were in, how did they do that so fast? I shook my head and bowed to Artemis, I doubt we'll meet again.

"The way you see the gods is interesting, so I'll keep an eye on you. Farewell…I don't believe I got your name have I?" Artemis said.

I smirked, "I don't think I'm worth remembering, so don't worry about it, so long." I said and walked away. I know for a fact that all her hunters wanted me dead as soon as I said that. The whole day I killed monsters, it was like they were drawn to me, every time I killed one, another would show up. Ever since I noticed all the monsters, I noticed that when it gets dark, they start to come at me in packs and they seem to be a little stronger, and faster.

It was night so I stayed in the woods, even though it's dark, I could see just fine. The best place to be right now is the woods, because I can listen to my surroundings, the leaves and branches, no one can sneak behind me if I stay here.

An hour later I could hear someone following me, and off to the right was more footsteps, they didn't even try to be sneaky. I sighed and stopped. Once I did, everything was quiet again, I pulled out my sword, "Just how many of you is there!?" I could see about fifty monsters, I gulped, I've fought this many before, but not at night. Out in the distance, I could hear thunder, why can I hear that? There isn't any thunder clouds around. Shit, I need to run, I turned and there was more…They've finally got me, why are there so many monsters? Why am I such a threat to them? This is stupid, I'm just one fucking person!

Anger started to boil up in me, "I've had it! I'm going to kill you all once and for all!" I shouted. The thunder got louder and then it started to rain, and lightning struck around me, but I was more focused on the monsters. I charged and started to feel energized, with each lightning strike that almost hit me, I got faster and felt like nothing could kill me, I killed ten monsters before the lightning strike stuck right behind me, it was like it was attracted to me, I growled in frustration, "Lightning isn't going to help you!"

Every ten seconds the lightning struck the ground. I killed forty monsters, but every time the lightning lit up the forest, I saw more monsters, I lifted up my sword, "You want to kill me!? Bring it!" I shouted and lightning hit my blade…I didn't feel hurt, lightning flickered off my sword, and the monsters around me stopped moving, and then above my head a light blue lightning bolt appeared, it was spinning, what the hell is that? I ignored it and went after the monsters, I can use this as a distraction, my blade still had lightning coming off it.

The wind around me picked up and the monsters had a hard time hitting me, not that they could before. A few of them got blown away from me, which I thought was weird, but I ignored that also and kept fighting, when I got close to them, they were blown back a couple of feet. "Stay still!" I yelled at them. I already killed over seventy of them, why won't it stop?

I think I've been fighting for over an hour now, or maybe longer? I don't know I lost track after killing fifty monsters. Ever since that thing appeared over my head, more and more monsters appeared, but now they stopped, there was still a lot, but they stopped attacking me. The trees around me were either on fire or broken in two. The rain was still going and the thunder made it hard to hear anything, and the lightning seemed to be helping me. A strange world.

I took a long breath and looked at all the monsters in front of me, there's just too many, I can't kill them all. But I'll take out as many as I can. I lifted my sword in the air again, and it was struck once more. "Let's go for a record no one will believe, a thousand monsters killed in one night…You all make it too easy to kill you…So let's end this." I said and jump and then brought my sword down and hit the ground, but what happened next wasn't what I expected, everything around me exploded. When I looked up there was nothing but gold dust everywhere.

What the hell did I just do? I tried taking out my sword, but I felt really weak for some reason, and then I started to feel lightheaded as well. What's going on? My eyesight was blurry, I started breathing heavily. I fell to one knee, my body hurts…And I feel like I haven't slept in days. My legs hurt, so I fell flat on my stomach, good thing I killed everything around me…

A few seconds later I could hear someone making their way to me…well…This is it, isn't it?

I tried getting up, but it hurt to move so I stayed down.

"Put out the fires and set up- before they could finish speaking everything went dark for me.

I thought I died, but I still woke up, I'm not sure how long I was asleep, I still couldn't move, but I could see something above me, I was in the same tent as this morning. Did I just get saved? I forced myself to get up, and immediately regretted it. "Thou should rest, otherwise it would have been pointless to bring you here." That's Zoe voice, "Where am I?" I asked.

I couldn't see her, but I could tell she was glaring at me, "Did Artemis save me...?" I tried getting up again, "That's 'Lady' Artemis to you, and she is busy, so she will be awhile."

Every time I made eye contact with her, she would glare at me, "Why do you hate me...?" I asked, it hurts to talk, "I have my reasons, which is none of thy business. Now if you could stop talking that would be great." Zoe said coldly. I sighed, may as well listen to her, otherwise she'll hate me more than before.

I thought for sure she would leave me alone on here, but Zoe didn't leave, she kept an eye on me the entire time, she doesn't trust that I'll just rest. Man it's not like I'm going to just get up and take somethings and then run away. She has a lot of trust issues. I think I was laying down for fifth teen minutes before Artemis arrived, I opened my eyes and tried to get up once more, but it still didn't work. I was too weak. "Rest, I only want to talk." Artemis said, I laid back down. "What do you want to talk about?" I asked.

Artemis cleared her throat, "I told you I would keep an eye on you, so you should know I saw everything that happened when you left us. Do you understand why that happened?" She asked. I shook my head, "No...I don't know why all those monsters attacked me and I don't know why a hologram of a lightning bolt appeared over my head..." I said.

Artemis nodded like she expected this, "That hologram was the symbol of Zeus, lord of the sky. It appeared over your head because he has claimed that you are his child." She said calmly, I'm having a hard time wrapping this around my head right now. "Zeus...When you say he claimed me, you mean he's my father?" I asked.

Artemis nodded, "Yes."

Zeus…All those years of running from monsters, all those years I spent alone are because of him. He could've saved me the trouble of having to go through all that. But all he was watch me suffer…What's the point of claiming me!? Exactly what good does that do me!? I hate him and the other gods…

I have to stay calm, "This Zeus…You said he's the lord of the sky, but is that all? And can you tell me why there are so many monsters coming after me?" I asked.

Artemis smiled, "My father Zeus is the god of the sky, and king of the gods. He is also one of Kronos's children, the youngest to be exact, and also Zeus was the one to cast him into Tartarus...But that can come another time, first I will tell you that you were not supposed to be born. During World War II, there was a prophecy made, one that frightened the gods…I can't tell you what the prophecy is, but all you need to know is that after they found out what it was, only three gods couldn't have children anymore, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. The three eldest sons of Kronos."

"So I was right…We are just mistakes to you gods…" I said coldly, I slowly started to feel angry. So much for staying calm, everything she says makes me hate him even more, "What the hell was the point of claiming me? Now more monsters will come after me, does he really want to get rid of me that much!?"

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 **Thanks for reading! I hope you all have an awesome day!**

 **Rilurz~**

 **Update~ I kind of thought I fixed that already, I'm sorry about that, but thanks for letting me know! It might be awhile for chapter five**


	4. Artemis, the goddess of the moon

Nothing makes me angrier than a god claiming his son, just to get rid of him, or not him…I guess I should say mistake. Because that's all they think we are, just things they can use when they're in trouble…Well that's the way I see it at least. Not everyone will agree with me on that.

"Anthony Ross, we as gods have to own up to our…As you like to say, our mistakes. But Zeus is no fool, he must have seen something special in you if he has claimed you. In five minutes, you will turn sixteen, I have an offer for you." Artemis said and crossed her arms over her chest.

Her emotionless eyes made me want to scream, no! But at the same time…I wanted to hear what she has to say. My body aches, so I can't really do anything but listen to her. She said I have five minutes…Why? I mean it's not like I'm going anywhere…"I'm listening…" I said.

"My hunters...From two thousand years I have recruited them, meaning they are immortal. I make it a point to never allow boys to join my hunt, or even go near my hunters, the last one who approached my hunters was turned into a jackalope. By me of course." Artemis smiled like she found turning some boy into a jackalope, very amusing. I gulped, "Why are you telling me t-

"I am not done talking." She cut me off with a firm look. I stared at her a little stunned she could scare me so much with just a look. Artemis continued, "I still believe that no boy, or man, should join my hunt…But you're different, when I look into your eyes, I don't see a boy filled with lust for girls. I only see a man who wants to make a difference." She finished.

I straightened my head and just stared at the tents (ceiling? Roof?) And thought about her words, it's true I don't see these girls as romantic interests…I can kind of see what she has to offer me. "Can you tell me how this helps me? I'm a mistake, I shouldn't exist. But you said it yourself, he is no fool, he sees that I can do something about this 'prophecy' right?"

"You catch on quick." Artemis said and then she sighed, "If a child of the eldest gods reaches sixteen, they will either make a decision that will save or destroy Olympus. That is part of the Great Prophecy, but it will not happen to you, because I want you to join my hunt…" Her voice faltered with each word, as if she started to regret making this decision.

"Exactly how do I join your hunt?" I asked.

She walked over to me and kneeled beside me, "All you have to say is, 'I, state your name that is very important, okay back to what I was saying, I, your name, pledge myself to the goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of woman, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the hunt." She told me.

That was a little…Confusing, but I think I got it, but one thing doesn't set well with me, "Maidenhood? Why not manly…Oh I see, it doesn't really fit. How about youthfulness?" I asked. Artemis looked irritated, but she still nodded. I cleared my throat, "I, Anthony Ross, pledge myself to the goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of woman and men, accept eternal youthfulness, and join the hunt."

Artemis sighed like that was the dumbest thing she's ever heard. "I…" She groaned, glad she wants me aboard her hunt…"I accept" She finally said. I didn't feel anything at first, but after a few seconds, my body felt really, really good. It still hurt, but not as much as before, I slowly got up, "Whoa…" My legs felt weak, but not so much I'll fall over, "I'm one of your hunters…?" I guess you can say I still don't believe in the gods. Artemis nodded, but didn't exactly look excited about it.

She walked towards the exit, "I guess I should inform my hunters...They'll probably think I've lost it..." She muttered.

Her attitude changed dramatically, does she really hate accepting me into her hunt that bad? Man that kind of hurts. My legs still felt like jelly, but I decided it was for the best that they find out about me. When we walked out, the hunters of Artemis were waiting for us, it was like they already knew, because they had disgusted looks on their faces, except they directed that look towards me. They really do despise men. I thought Artemis would have introduced me to them, but she didn't, she just watched them give me nasty looks. Alright, they want to play like that, then let's play, I smiled brightly, "I am your newest member, Anthony Ross. I've been recruited to help you guys." I said smugly.

Their expressions changed to hatred, I'm going have fun staying in this group. I just bowed respectfully to get them angrier. If I act nice they'll hate me even more. I guess at heart I'm still a child, because all I want is to annoy them, I haven't done anything wrong, yet here they are giving me angry looks like I did something horrible.

If I knew anything about these gods and goddess's, then I would probably have a better understanding as to why they hate me. But Artemis did say that no man has ever joined her hunt, so I guess that's one reason why, and if I think about it, maybe most of the girls had bad experiences with men, so maybe that's why they hate them. Not sure if I should keep being an asshole or take it easy on them. They've been through stuff, but who cares, I've been through a lot as well.

"Uh…I'm still really hurt, are we moving out or something? If so, I don't think I can follow." I said.

I guess in their eyes I'm being really disrespectful towards Artemis, but I'm someone who isn't completely convinced about the gods, sure she demonstrated some of her powers, but that alone isn't enough. Zoe, the one who really hates me, step towards me, I kind of thought Artemis would stop her, but she didn't. I got slapped across the face. "You pledged thyself to thee goddess Artemis, yet thou little boy acts like this is all a game!"

The anger I was feeling was quickly replaced with confusion, "What?" The way she spoke threw me off, slowly I started to understand what she said, "Of course I'm going to treat this like a game, I'm hanging around little girls, you know how stupid that is?!" I said exasperatedly.

Zoe stepped up to me and stared me dead in the eyes, "I disapprove of him." And the rest of the hunters nodded in agreement. Why isn't Artemis stopping them? I wouldn't have acted that way towards them if they didn't look at me like I'm just like every other guy. So far I've proved them right, but I did that on purpose, because they really piss me off, "Yeah, well me too, because I didn't do anything to you girls when I first met you, yet here you are looking at me with disgust and hatred, like I'm the fucking reason why you hate men!" I snapped.

Artemis finally stepped in, "I've seen enough, clearly you both don't like each other."

"You can say that again..." I muttered, Artemis glanced at me at the corner of her eye, I sighed, "I'm sorry."

Artemis sighed, "Why do you hate woman?"

"I don't hate woman, I just hate people that look at me like I'm the reason why the world is going to shit." I said.

Zoe started to realize that what I said was true, so now she didn't look so angry, I guess even she knows when she's in the wrong. But clearly I'm at a disadvantage here, if what Artemis said is true, then I lose because Zoe has been with her for almost two thousand years. The more I look at these girls I realize that they look rather prideful, which means...They will never own up to their own mistakes. I guess it's back to not giving a shit about what they think, one thing is clear to me...I was offered to join this hunt because she wanted to avoid a war of some kind.

My body still aches, but not so much I can't do anything. "So all you want is for me to follow orders, right? If that's what it takes to stay here, then I'll listen." I said.

Of course the alternative is to just to betray them...But I'd rather not end up dead. I guess you can say I'm starting to believe the stuff they said about the gods. I'm sure it was my imagination, but for a second Artemis looked disappointed in my sudden change of heart. But soon she returned to her usual self. Cool and collected, "Then...Let is go, we have a lot of ground to cover." Artemis said, all the hunters nodded and still looked at me with hate, I ignored them, but one of them hesitated and had a look of doubt...Zoe.

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 **I'm sorry this took so long. Ive been busy with a lot of things, and dodnt really have the time to work on this, but I did what i could.**

 **Thanks for reading! I hope you all have an awesome day!**

 **Rilurz~**


	5. Questions that can't be answered

_**Another slow chapter, sorry about that, I kind of have an idea of where to go with this story now, hopefully you'll like where I'm going with this.**_

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I was walking behind the hunters, I think I was about fifty feet back, there are a few reasons why I'm all the way back here, the first and biggest reason is because I actually thought it was best not to join the hunters. But the hunters see men as monsters, and so does Artemis, but she's taken an interest in me, I don't know why but I can use that and try to get her to get the rest of the hunters warmed up to me and men that aren't so…Horrible.

The other reason is because I still haven't recovered from…My fight with all those monsters. And the last one is because I've actually been thinking about Zoe, is she taking what I said to heart? Did I remind her of something or someone by saying what I said? My unlikely reason for wondering why she's taking my words to heart is that maybe she realized I'm not a bad guy. Ever since I became a hunter of Artemis, I started noticing that my senses are getting better and I can see in the dark a lot more than before.

I have no wounds, but my body aches, just what did I do? I was struck by lightning more than four times…Maybe even more I'm not sure, but what I'm saying is that I should be dead, why didn't it affect me? Gods…Titans…Half-bloods…Monsters…Immortal beings, no matter what, nothing should be able to stay alive for more than a hundred years, they shouldn't be playing god with our lives, the gods I assume only help mortals when it absolutely matters, but when it's a small matter, they'll let those mortals die, whether it be their own family or friends, they'll let them die.

I have no love for the gods because one has already shown me that they don't take their children seriously, instead they run straight back to their home and watch from afar as their child goes through hell. I'm speaking about most gods, but I do know anything about most gods, so for now all that is pointed towards Zeus, the king od the gods. Artemis has shown me that she'll always be there for her hunters, no matter what. But I feel like that won't be the case with me, since I am a man and the son of a god that wasn't supposed to bare anymore children. With me as a hunter, will that complicate things? Will more monsters attack us because I'm here? Questions…I have so many, but none of them will be answered, because I have no one to actually talk with. As I was overthinking things, a faint voice was calling to me, my vision was blinded with a bright light, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Someone demanded, who is that? Where am I? Questions again…

Everything focused and Artemis was standing behind me with her bow drawn, and her hand on my shoulder, I looked down and realized I was standing on the edge of a cliff, I stumbled backwards, how long have I been out of it? Thinking about the gods won't do me any good, so why am I so focused on them? I took a shaky breath, "I-I'm sorry…I got distracted." I said and tried to steady my breathing. "What is it, boy?" Artemis said sternly, this isn't something they can answer, "Questions that I need answers to, but these questions are not the kind I can ask you, or the hunters, it will only anger you…" I muttered.

There were some glares thrown towards me as I said this, some even hateful, Zoe on the other hand, didn't have a look of concern nor a look of hatred, but she had a look that meant she has questions she wants answered as well. "Why is it that you dislike my hunters?" Artemis asked.

"I..." Damn I can't tell her I don't dislike them, because I've already shown her I dislike them. "I'm sorry lady Artemis, I don't hate or dislike them, I just don't want to make them hate me anymore than I already have." I said carefully, I made the decision to not care what others think about me, but I realized if I do that I'll ruin what they've built, Artemis nodded like that was a suitable answer. "I see, then I suppose it's best that you keep your questions to yourself."

I nodded, and said nothing else. I did say I would follow all of her orders, and without saying anything we started moving again, I stayed in the back again, because I know I'm not wanted up front, from both the hunters and Artemis. She wasn't entirely sure she should let me join her hunters. We kept going for at least a few hours, whenever I traveled this long I got tired pretty fast, but since joining the hunters of Artemis, my stamina and physical strength have increased and also my senses are sharper. Another hour and I felt like I was on my own again, where I was fighting monsters and looking for a good place to sleep. But instead there was people with me.

I didn't ask anyone anything, I just did as Artemis asked, follow her orders, it's been two hours been since my birthday...Every birthday I never felt older, which includes this one. My body is finally back to normal, well...I guess it's not really back to normal, it's better than before, I feel more flexible, and more at ease. A few weeks passed and Artemis asked me to show her my abilities or my talent with the sword and bow and arrow. "I've been using swords for years, I pretty much mastered that, but the bow and arrow is difficult for me. But I will show you how much I've learned." I said and bowed to Artemis, she nodded to her hunters and they started moving things around and out of the way, until there was a circle around us. Kind of like a little arena.

A couple minutes later the hunters sat down all around us and Artemis was sitting in a chair that seemed to be too high for her, but she got up there no problem, she nodded to Zoe and then to me. "Do not go too far, you will fight until one of you gets a clean hit, remember this is just a match to see how strong he is and how much he can handle on his own." Artemis finished and lifted her hand, "Whoa now?" I asked, she her fingers and yelled, "Begin!"

I quickly went for my sword and blocked an arrow that Zoe shot at me, "I see thy reflexes aren't too bad. Now let us test thou speed." She smirked and fired arrow after arrow, at one point she shot five arrows in two seconds, which was difficult to block. Once I got the hang of it I advanced slowly. I was two feet in front of her and she pulled out her dagger, "Not bad." She said and pushed me back, I'm surprised she's strong enough to move me. I pushed her back and backed off, there's no opening, Artemis wants to see if I can force my opponent to make mistakes, and if I'm capable of fighting on my own.

I hate to admit it but she's faster than me, but good thing I found out that there are ways to contain people who are quick. Simply defend, she doesn't have this godly speed or anything, she just faster than I am, which means I can block anything she throws at me, but I can't attack or else she'll counter me and I'll lose and disappoint Artemis.

Zoe took a step back and drew an arrow and shot it up and then another one, a second later she took out her dagger and advanced, I intercepted her attacks, and we were at a standstill, "You're strong...And quick, but you won't win." I said and pushed her back, if there's anything I excel at, it's fighting with a sword.

I tried to advance, but my body reacted on its own, I took a step back and rolled to my left. I looked back at where I was and saw that her arrows would have grazed my arms. I see, so those shots earlier weren't random, she planned to hold me there until one of the arrows got me, not bad. I got back up and readied my sword, I grabbed the handle with two hands and charged Zoe, I brought my sword high and brought it back down with everything I had, Zoe twisted her body and my sword went past her before I could lift my arm to protect myself Zoe's foot connected with my cheek, my whole body turned and I fell to the ground, the hunters cheered and Artemis said, "Whether that was anger or not, you let her win with that attack, if this was an actual fight, you would've been dead. I guess you haven't mastered using a sword just yet, instead you're only a novice with the sword. Monsters are decent practice, but that won't get you far. They can't move like we do, always remember that."

I sat there holding my cheek, did I let her win? That wasn't really out of anger, I mean sure I felt like she was beating me, but it wasn't enough to make me lose sight of what I had to do…I…I took her speed into account and her strength…So why did I…Attack with everything I had? There was no need for that. I didn't intentionally throw that match…At least I felt like I didn't. She didn't do anything special, I read everything she threw at me, kind of, I shouldn't have lost so quickly. All I have to do is clear my mind, of course I knew they were nothing like the monsters I've fought, I knew there were better than the monsters. Just clear your mind Anthony, let you instincts take over. Enough being confused about the questions that will never be answered, enough with worrying that you'll hurt these girls, they had bad experiences with men, who cares, I'm not those guys that did wrong to them.

.

.

.

"Can I have a rematch?" I asked almost robotically. No more questions repeated in my head, it was just thinking about winning, I'm not doing this because losing to a girls sucks, I'm doing it to show Artemis I'm not useless.

I stared at Artemis with no emotion, her expression towards me changed, there was no longer disappointment written on her face, or amusement. Instead there was confusion, a look I thought would never fall upon her face. I've been like this once before, it was back when I first found out my mother died. I was calm and…I forget what else I felt that day, maybe it was nothing, it just seemed like she wasn't actually gone, it was strange.

Artemis smiled and said, "No, you've proved that just because she is a female, you will not truly attack her. Of course I wanted to test your strength, but I also wanted to see how you would react if a maiden almost beat you in battle."

I nodded and bowed, "As you wish my lady."

The hunters of Artemis stared at me in stunned silence. Zoe, was giving me a skeptical look, but nothing else, she put her dagger away and her bow vanished into thin air. Artemis kept staring at me like she's known me for a very long time. After ten minutes of silence they set up camp and everyone went to bed. I laid down and stared at the tent's ceiling, after a few minutes, I got up and went for a walk. I'm sixteen and I should be dead. There are gods that keep those monsters and titans at bay, and those gods have children that seem to grab the attention of monsters, they are known as 'Half-Bloods' of those gods, three are not supposed to have any children, but one has ignored that rule and bore one. That is me, Anthony Ross, the son of Zeus.

I looked up at the stars and suddenly my whole body felt warm, like I was home…Next to me something red appeared, and then it started crackling. I looked down next to me, it was a little camp fire. One thing didn't make sense to me, there was a little girl wearing a black cloak and transparent veil, her eyes were closed, but I had a feeling that if she opened them, there weren't actually going to be any eyeballs there.

She opened her eyes slowly and I felt like I already knew who she was, in her eye sockets, was flames, they danced back and forth, those eyes didn't make me fear for my life, instead they made me take a seat next to her. She opened her mouth to speak, "Hello, Anthony."

As I stared at her, nothing changed I didn't move or say anything, I didn't feel fear or anything, but I still ended up feeling a single teardrop falling down my right cheek.

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 **I don't have more to say, but somewhere in this chapter I kind of went off track, but I guess that's fine.**

 **Thanks for reading! I hope you all have an awesome day!**

 **Rilurz~**


	6. Hatred for the gods

As I stared at the little girl, she stared back at me with those flame filled eyes, the flames calmly danced around as she stared at the teardrop rolling down my cheek. I wiped it off my cheek, "Strange- we said in unison, I closed my mouth and she smiled, "Strange indeed, we've never met before, yet you look at me like you've known me your entire life."

It's true that I've never seen her before, but I don't know why I feel like I know her, maybe she reminds me of someone, but when I was traveling I never met anyone who I was comfortable with. "No, we've never met, this is the first time I'm seeing someone like you." I said.

She nodded and sat on the ground next to the campfire and patted next to her, I walked over and sat next to her. Who is she? It's strange, I feel this power from her, it's not sinister or anything, in fact it's amazing, it makes me feel so safe and calm. We stared into this he fire and she said, "You wish to know why you're here, and you want to know how the hunters of Artemis came to hate men?"

"I have a general idea why they hate men…Of course I'm not completely sure, but I'd still like to know."

The little girl nodded, "Well I suppose the best way to explain this is that every hunter of Artemis is loyal to her because each of them has had a bad experience with men, their reasons for hating them is justified, some have been abused while few were enslaved and many of them have been left behind; all of these young girls have been mistreated by men, both by strangers and family alike. We are not talking about getting mistreated by one man, so of course after the first man, few of the hunters would give mankind another chance, but one after another, they deceived those girls with sweet words and gentle actions, they used them and then threw them away when they were no longer needed. Because of many men, the hunters of Artemis see all man the same, no matter how nice they act, they will see that man or boy nothing more than an animal." She Explained, the fire grew warmer and my body felt like I was home.

"I see…Well that's what I've been thinking, just wasn't sure I was right. As to why I am here well…I think I know. But at the same time I don't." I said. "What you wanted was more of confirmation than anything else, you didn't necessarily need me to tell you anything, am I wrong?" She asked with a small smile, she isn't wrong, actually she's right on the money for what I actually wanted to hear. I nodded, "Yes, you're right, that's all I wanted, but of course hearing why I'm here would be helpful. Although I realize that the gods don't interfere with their children because that'll just cause more trouble for them, and I also see that knowing what this world has in store for you is meant to be unknown, if I tried to learn why I'm here or what lies ahead of me, I know for a fact I'll just try to change it." I sighed heavily, "Does that sound right to…You…?"

The little girl...Or I guess I should say, the goddess was gone and so was the campfire, "I guess gods can't say anything that might change the future…I'm not sure you meant for this to happen…But I hate the gods even more, they know our future, they know what will happen, but because there's rules about not meddling with the future, they won't lift a single finger to do anything about it." I muttered, "We mortals break rules to better our lives, but at the same time we worry about the consequences that we will have to face, but in the end, we did what we thought was right because we thought it would make us better. We change things so we won't be stuck in the past…" I chuckled lightly, "What I am doing? It's not like anyone is listening…"

I sighed heavily and went back to my tent and laid down until I fell asleep. I didn't get much sleep that night, I was too busy thinking about that goddess and how she seemed so familiar, plus all that bullshit about the gods not helping even when they know what's going to happen to their children. Everything was put away and Artemis gathered everyone together and told us that we were going to be traveling south for a few days, everyone but me knew what that meant. The mood changed as soon as she announce where we were heading, "I have something important to attend too, so we will go to camp half-blood for a few days." She said and nodded to Zoe, which made me blurt out, "Is this because of me?" I asked.

Artemis looked me dead in the eyes, "No."

As I looked into her eyes, I could tell that she was lying, so I just nodded, but I could tell that she noticed that I noticed she was lying. So she smiled at me, like she was impressed with me or something. But there was something about the way she smiled, I don't know how to put it…It was like she expected me to noticed she was lying, or maybe I'm looking into it too much, it wouldn't be the first time I've done that. This camp she mentioned…I faintly remember a monster telling me about it.

For the first few hours it was quiet, which was weird since they never shut up. I stayed in the back as usual, but I wasn't the only one who was watching our backs, Zoe Nightshade was also here. Thirty minutes after we departed I finally asked, "Is this camp really that bad?"

I waited five minutes for her to answer my question but she never did, she just kept walking without saying anything, I shrugged and slowed down so she would be in front and alone, because I don't really care if I'm alone or not, I mean I've been basically alone my entire life. As I slowed down, so did Zoe which I found odd, when we were about fifty feet away from the others she closed her hands tightly, almost like she hated the idea that she was even walking next to me.

I cleared my throat and looked at her for a second, I'm not expecting her to answer me, but I have this feeling that she wants to answer me. So instead of letting her answer me I said, "You know, besides Artemis you're the only one these girls trust, so I don't think it's wise to talk to the only person they hate. Otherwise, they might see that maybe you're having doubts about mankind, or they could lose a little trust in you, but I don't think those girls are like that. But for once in my life, I hope I'm wrong, because I am tried of getting things right. I mean the things I say, not the things I do."

Zoe glared at me and walked past me, but as she passed me she muttered, "Don't get things twisted, you're not one of us. So don't speak to me about what they might think, because you have no idea what they've been through."

Well that was something, the last time she said something to me her voice was calm and collated, plus the way she spoke just now was nothing like that of a girl. Her old way of speaking wasn't there at all, I'm guessing it's because of what I said...I guess what I said was wrong. Zoe was back with the others but after they talked for a little bit a few of them gave me death stares which made me smirk, I'd like to see them try.

A couple of hours later Artemis decided to stop to rest, altough it looked like no one wanted to rest, they seemed to want to get this over with. The way they're acting has me intrigued about this camp, if they hate it, then maybe I'll like it. I usually stay about fifty feet away from them, but today I decided to shorten that distance to thirty feet. Since we were just resting everyone started talking to each other, well expect me I mean. The way they speak is weird for me, instead of 'you' they say 'thee or thou' and 'your' they say 'thine' in all honesty, I don't like the way they speak, too outdated.

As I was sitting down on a rock I started thinking about the gods again, that goddess that I saw last night didn't see me for the hell of it, she was curious about me. Because of what Artemis says about the gods, then the other goddess that I saw had a plan for seeing me, or maybe I'm just looking too much into it. But...She seems to be trustworthy, granted we only spoke for a few minutes, but I feel like I can trust her. Artemis and that other goddess are the only ones that seem to think about others before themselves, while the other gods think only for themselves before anyone else, at least that's the way I see it, Artemis explained about the gods to me, but that's the way I interpreted it. She might have said it in a way that makes me see the gods as actual nice gods, but all I got was that they don't care about anything besides their home and themselves.

The children of the gods grew up with a mortal parent but nothing else, oh wait there is something that the gods left for us 'Demi-gods' or 'half-bloods' I don't care what we are, but the thing they left us is monsters that want to kill us because one of our parents is a god. If that doesn't tell you that the gods aren't what they say they are, then I guess there is something wrong with the way you look at things.

When everyone was rested up I kept my distance, my hatred for the gods is growing, and frankly I don't want to be apart of this group because they hate me and because I want to see if I turn sixteen, will I really be able to destroy the gods? The hunters of Artemis kept marching on as I was thinking what to do, so I slowed down and soon came to a stop. As I stopped they kept walking and soon they slowed down as well, it was like they could sense that one of them was missing. They looked back and I was about a hundred feet away from them, Artemis and the hunters stared at me, Artemis still didn't have an expression, she wasn't confused or annoyed that I stopped, she just had this stoic expression. The hunters on the other hand had angry expressions in their faces, I had my sword in my hand. "Tell me Artemis, exactly what do you think about the other gods? And what do you think I can do to bring them down? One more thing, who is Kronos?"

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 **This will be all for awhile, for any of my stories unfortunately.**

 **Thanks for reading! I hope you all have an awesome day!**

 **Rilurz~**


	7. Camp Half-Blood

The second I mentioned Kronos, the temperature around us dropped quickly which made Artemis tense up and gove me a firm look, "Tis a name no one speaks of, for your own benefit refrain yourself from speaking it, boy."

The way Artemis acts is sometimes annoying, but I guess because you're a god or goddess, you can't change so easily. Today I might end up dead or wanted dead from all the gods, "I see...Then what is he? Before I was recruited by you, these monsters I kept as prisoners told me about him but I don't remember what exactly they said, since I didn't think it was important."

"As you should, he was a being that ate his children because of what they might do, so watch whose names you say out loud. There is not a single being that he can't reach. Although thee titan lord of time resides in Tartarus you'll find that he may as well be walking on this earth as we do." Artemis spoke carefully, so even when he's dead or imprisoned I guess I should say, he can scare the gods, and kill those who get in his way. That is a load of shit, if he can kill me while he's in a place he can't get out of, then why am I still alive?

Those gods may be afraid of him, but I'm not. "Pushing that 'lord of time' aside, I asked you one more thing, your answer may change my mind," I said.

Artemis looked me over and nodded, "There is absolutely nothing that you can do to bring down the gods, but since you are an offspring of lord Zeus, you can challenge a god, as for what I think about them. Well simply put, I don't care, because each god is different, but all of us need one another." Artemis walked over to me, "Does that, answer thy question?" I could feel all the hunters glares they were giving me for talking to her like that, like she wasn't a goddess at all. Like she was just a regular person with no importance.

"It does, but now I have another question, if I lose my immortality, what happens to me then? Do I instantly get some sort of power that can be used by the Titan lord of Time? Or will my 'Father' smite me down where I stand?" I said the word father with contempt and hatred.

Artemis shook her head, "If you break thou oath, Ye will be in the hands of thy fates."

There it is again, the 'Fates' what does she mean by that? I can't ask her right now, otherwise, we'll just be going in circles. I really don't want the gods to stay as 'all-powerful beings' because that isn't going to help us, by us I mean me and other demi-gods, I guess now I truly believe everything Artemis has told me.

I took a long deep breath and kneeled at Artemis's feet, "I don't care about the other gods and those titans, I am a hunter, your hunter, I will obey your every order." I promised.

Even though I said all those things Artemis didn't look worried or surprised. She kept the same expression the entire time I talked, she nodded and looked at her hunters, "Will this suffice?"

One or two hunters nodded, but none of the others agreed nor did they disagree. Almost every single hunter stared at me with disgusted looks, the only one who looked at me with concern, was Zoe Nightshade. I don't understand her, first, she hates me then she shows some sympathy, now she's concerned about me? I don't know why she's concerned about me, I mean it's not like she has to be careful about what she does, and from what Artemis has told me, Zoe and the hunters should hate men, even if one is somehow accepted into their group. That oath is stupid in my opinion, but what I think doesn't matter, because I am now apart of this group.

All I need to do is follow Artemis' orders, and that way I won't be apart of this great Prophecy, but even I can't be sure I'm not going to play some part in it. Before I joined Artemis, I thought she was going to be arrogant since she is a god, but she was nothing of the sort, she was rude, yes, but there was no hate in what she said, she did not care for me, but she did not want to see me dead. I can't tell what she has planned for me, but I think she wishes for her hunters to get along with men enough to the point where they won't want to kill them when they land their 'lustful' eyes on them.

Obviously I could be wrong, actually, I'll most likely be wrong since there is nothing on her face that shows me anything about what she's thinking. After Artemis changed my mind about going against the gods, we headed west. The distance we covered in a day was insane, I don't really understand how they get from one state to the next so quickly, but trying to figure that out will probably take a long time, because I still have to read up on the Greek gods and the history behind the Greeks, and if possible, I'll look into the titans and all the monsters that follow those titans.

This camp that all the hunters hate has been on my mind for a while now, like what kind of camp is it? Since we're going there that means it isn't going to be a normal camp, it's either going to be some sort of military type camp for Half-Bloods, or a safe haven for Half-Bloods.

My guess is both, but maybe not a military type camp, maybe something that does involve training? Or at least something that'll help you survive, like how to make arrows that work against those monsters and traps of some sort.

As Artemis led us to camp half-blood I started thinking about the so-called immortality for the hunters, for sure I know Artemis is immortal, but us? I don't think we actually immortal, I mean how am I supposed to believe that? No one has shown me that they're not from this era, they speak old school but so what? A picture from their past might help, preferably a picture with a date of what time they're from.

Enough about that, now I have to think about what the hell am I going to do about being at the camp with the hunters? Is she really going to leave me there with them? Just so we would get along together? Or maybe it's something else entirely? Or maybe I'm just overthinking all this. Of course overthinking things speed up time, actually no it doesn't it just takes your mind off that time that's pretty much useless, plus it's not like any is going to talk to me.

I guess three hours passed while I was thinking which surprised me, how can so much time pass without me noticing? Ten minutes is usually the most I can do, but three hours? To be honest it felt more like ten seconds like time wasn't really moving at all, with that thought we finally came to a stop, "Boy." Artemis called.

I guess she's back to calling me that. "Yes?" I walked to her side and looked up, what the hell...This hill, I can see it, but it's flickering between a big hill to trees all over the place. "Why is it doing that?" I asked.

"Right now you see a hill and something else, that is because thou mind still doubts the gods or your mind is really weak against magic." She smirked at that last comment, what does that mean? With that Artemis started forward and the hunters followed. Well let's see just how much I guessed right. I walked up behind them but was stopped by something, it was like walking into a wall, "What...?"

I put my hand on the invisible wall, Artemis mentioned something about that I might be weak against magic...Does she mean real magic? Like actual magic? Or did she mean something else? God...Why can't gods just tell you what they mean? Am I going to get some spell cast on me because I couldn't get past whatever this is? As I stood there dumbfounded I could see the other hunters laughing at me, only Artemis and Zoe watched me with curiosity. I really don't like the fact that this is somehow a test for me, at least that's what this feels like, how can I still be doubting the gods?

I mean I already believe Artemis, so why? Maybe I really weak against this 'magic'. Just that thought alone got me angry, I've killed so many monsters and survived on my own for years, but I'm weakest against something that probably doesn't even exist?! No I don't accept that. This forcefield or whatever the hell it is, it has to be some trick or something.

As I stood there and looked at the forcefield the hunters looked down on me with those hateful eyes, but they still laughed at me, not even a few seconds later they frowned and started to draw their arrows, I looked at my hand on the forcefield and saw lightning flickering off me. Well...That's interesting.

I pushed forward and my hand went through. As I walked forward I looked up and noticed that there was one more person...Well maybe not a person per se, more like a half-human half-horse? Anyway, the horseman was talking to Artemis, but he didn't look happy about what she told him. Whatever she said must have been about me, because he looked at me as I approached, what did she say to him to make him look so scared? The hunters withdrew their arrows and looked at Artemis, the goddess nodded to Zoe, "While I am away, try to teach the boy a few things about archery, and show him you're not just 'girls'." Artemis smiled to her hunters who nodded and watched her walk away.

I may have underestimated them when I first met them, but that won't happen again. Artemis didn't tell me that I had to listen to any of the hunters, which means I can explore this camp without their permission, not that I needed it. Hmm, Looks like they had the same idea because told the hunters to go to cabin eight. As the hunters got further away I felt the need to follow them, but the horseman was still standing in the same spot he was in when he was talking to Artemis, for a split second he looked down at me with pity...Or maybe it was something else...Ugh, I've become so indecisive ever since I found out about these...Gods and monsters, everything was simple before all this. Why did he give me that look though? What does he know?

He cleared his throat, "Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier, my name is Chiron, and I am the activities director here at Camp Half-Blood, welcome."

I looked at the hunters, they didn't even wait for me, they were already gone. I guess since they've already been here they know where to go, I sighed and looked at Chiron. "So what am I doing here? Artemis already told you everything, which is why you don't want me here. Right?" I asked.

Chiron chuckled turned around, "Follow me, I have a lot to show you."

Another one that doesn't want to listen to me, great...He lead me to a big house, which to me seemed out of place, because from here I could see quite a bit of this camp. After that he took me to the cabins, where I found hunters again, when I poked my head in, they looked annoyed, right, time to continue this tour. Before we could continue Zoe said, "Boy!" But I ignored her and kept waking, but I heard her call my name under her breath, so I stopped and turned to her, "Yes?"

She rolled her eyes, "Go to the arena after thy tour."

I don't need to listen to her, but maybe this is my chance to see what they do for training. I nodded, "Sure."

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 **Thanks for reading!  
Rilurz ~**


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